Evie sighed deeply and contentedly, running her fingers through her hair and removing the crown from the top of her head. She shook her hair a bit, loosening her tresses so that they fell in a deep blue waterfall around her head. Evie then took off her heels carefully and placed them next to her on the stone flooring before leaning against the railing of the balcony.

Evie had escaped the party scene and was up on the balcony that Mal and Ben had been standing upon earlier, surveying the bridge leading to the Isle. She smiled softly as she viewed the beauty of the soft lights peppering the bridge.

She was simply reeling at everything that had happened over the course of a few days.

It was truly a wonderful feeling to know that so many kids had a chance to start a new life of good much sooner than Evie, Mal, Jay, and Carlos had. So many of them were going to have such a greater childhood than they would have on the Isle. Evie was so unbelievably thankful for that fact.

However, there was one thing that continued to bother Evie immensely. It was her and Mal's fight from just the other day when Mal had exposed to the group that she had lied about the barrier being opened. It wasn't the fact that Mal had lied. After all, Evie had completely forgiven her for that, not to mention the fact that Evie knew Mal's faults when she signed up for best friend status.

It was just what Mal had said about her and Evie's relationship. Mal claimed that she had been afraid that she was going to lose Evie. Quite honestly, that statement had injured Evie more deeply than any other thing that Mal had said or done. The fact that Mal had actually felt that Evie would not stand by her through thick and thin, and that Evie would not love her anymore was absolutely agonizing for Evie.

Evie adored Mal more than anyone else besides Jay and Carlos, and Mal was her best friend in the entire world. Evie loved Mal with all of her heart and had been by her side through every crisis imaginable. She honestly wasn't sure why Mal had been so certain that she would lose Evie.

The bluenette herself knew and was confident in the fact that Mal would never leave her side as a result of something Evie did. Evie had many occasional insecurities about someone else taking her place, but Evie was confident that Evie would never do anything to send Mal away, and if she truly thought about it, she knew no one would replace her.

So why would Mal feel that Evie would replace the faerie?

Evie was suddenly pulled from her reverie by arms encircling her waist and a sudden presence near her. Evie would have been startled if she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching just a few moments ago, barely creeping in hopes that they wouldn't be detected. However, the girl immediately knew who it was, and she twisted in the embrace to hold the other person full-on with a laugh.

"Did I scare you?" Mal asked, her voice somewhat muffled from where it was squished against Evie's collarbone. Evie just chuckled with a huge grin, her more upsetting thoughts slipping away as she held her best friend tightly and lovingly.

"No, were you trying?" Evie questioned playfully as she smiled.

"Well, rats!" Mal replied with irritated emphasis, but her happy grin and laugh betrayed her. Evie nuzzled Mal's hair, holding her in her arms for a few more moments before kissing Mal's forehead swiftly and releasing the other girl. Mal just beamed up at Evie affectionately, and Evie turned to face the bridge once again, a content smile on her face.

Mal wasted no time in accompanying the slightly older girl, and she laced her fingers with Evie's as she looked out at the horizon with the bluenette. Evie smiled in contentment, trying her best to forget what she had been thinking about earlier in favor of focusing on the now and how nice it was to spend time with her best friend and sister.

The corners of Evie's lips curled upward as she noticed how genuinely happy and relaxed that Mal looked, and she nudged Mal slightly with her shoulder.

"You happy?" Evie questioned, warmness lacing the words, and Mal looked to her, positively shining with pure bliss.

"Definitely," Mal answered, fully confident of her answer, and Evie squeezed Mal's hand a bit tighter. It was so nice to see Mal so exceedingly happy, and Evie felt her heart swelling with her sister's unbridled joy.

"It's been a pretty good day, hasn't it?" Evie asked, halfway rhetorically as she surveyed Mal carefully. Mal simply nodded to her before pressing her head against Evie's shoulder and nestling closer to Evie.

"Mmhmm."

"So, what're you doing out of the party? I thought you'd be dancing away with Ben all night," Evie acknowledged, and Mal shook her head fondly.

"I like hanging out with Ben, but… He's not you," Mal replied honestly, and in spite of herself, Evie felt her heart swell with the compliment. She knew that Ben likely would have taken offense to the comment, but Evie knew Mal well enough to know that absolutely no one was going to ever take the place of Evie, Jay, and Carlos in Mal's heart. Never would anyone else matter quite as much to Mal as those three, despite her love for other people outside of the VKs.

"So, what're you doing out of the party?" Mal mimicked Evie's question to her, and Evie sighed slightly, nuzzling her head into Mal's a bit as she smiled contentedly.

"I… Well, I guess I just wanted to look at it all," Evie explained, and Mal nodded slowly, observing the soft light on the bridge as it lit the way to the Isle of the Lost.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" Mal pointed out and Evie hummed in quiet agreement as they stood there in silence for a few beats of silence.

"I saw Uma a minute ago," Mal finally spoke, and Evie raised an eyebrow curiously.

"Yeah? What's she up to?" Evie questioned interestedly, and Mal shook her head fondly.

"Watching the bridge. Kind of like someone else I know," Mal quipped, shouldering Evie gently, and Evie just grinned at Mal, exhibiting her perfect white teeth in a happy expression.

"Yeah?"

"Was it as… exciting as Audrey's dilemma?" Evie questioned, remembering well the struggles that Audrey had been going through and that Mal had helped her with just earlier. Fortunately, Mal shook her head with a relieved smile, conveying to Evie that it had indeed not been that bad.

"No, thankfully not. Me and Uma just talked for a while, and I asked her if she wanted to be Captain of the Guard," Mal explained, and Evie was immediately really interested.

"Really?! That's amazing! Did she accept?" Evie questioned eagerly and interestedly, full of enthusiasm as she considered the possibilities that could be opened up by Uma's agreement.

"Yeah, she did. I've got to ask Ben about it, though."

"I'm sure he'll agree," Evie confidently expressed as she beamed at Mal. Mal nodded slightly, concurring with her sister.

"Yeah…" They sat there for a few more moments in silence, Mal's hand laced with Evie's as Evie rubbed soothing circles on Mal's hand with her thumb. Evie sighed slightly, enjoying the feel of Mal's head on her shoulder. Mal's presence was exceedingly comforting for her and given everything that had happened the past few days, the bluenette was so thankful that they could be sharing this time together.

"Evie?" Mal spoke up eventually, and Evie looked down at her adoringly, not knowing what Mal was going to say next, but fully prepared to listen.

"Hmm?" Evie hummed in response, a smile on her face as she turned her head so that her nose was pressing against Mal's eyebrow somewhat.

"I… I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for what happened a few days ago," Mal murmured, and the corners of Evie's lips downturned a bit as she was forced to think about precisely what her mind had been insistently dredging up since Mal and Evie had their outburst.

"I've told you, all is forgiven. I love you," Evie expressed automatically and immediately, but with a hint of thoughtfulness to her tone as she debated on whether she should talk about her thoughts or not.

"I shouldn't have lied to you three… Especially not you, though. I lied directly to you the other day when we were talking in your workroom at your starter castle," Mal told her, and Evie nodded a bit, keeping her face in the same position it had been in since Mal had first turned their conversation down this path.

"I know. It's okay, though. I'm not angry with you anymore. Actually, I completely understand why you did it," Evie spoke, and she pulled away from Mal finally, returning to her slightly more distanced position as she looked out over the balcony.

"Why do you seem so… subdued, then?" Mal asked, and Evie glanced at her quickly, noting that Mal was picking up on her odd mood and feelings. Mal tilted her head slightly as she looked at Evie, her fingers still laced in that of the other girl's. Evie sighed slightly, trying to think of how she should phrase it.

"M… You trust me… Don't you?" Evie asked, feeling her heart hurting with the words but withholding her own emotions in favor to and Mal nodded.

"Say it," Evie gently requested, and it came out in more of a whisper than a command.

"I trust you with all of my heart, soul, and being," Mal assured her, squeezing Evie's hand slightly to emphasize her words.

"You love me… Don't you?" Evie questioned, and Mal nodded wholeheartedly, not wasting any time in expressing it aloud.

"I love you, Evie. I love you more than anyone else besides two other people on this Earth. You know that," Mal told her, furrowing her brow as she doubtlessly attempted to think of some way to express this to Evie. Evie nodded, tightening her grip on Mal's hand reassuringly. Evie then let out a small breath before meeting Mal's worried green eyes.

"But do you know that I trust you with everything I have and that I love you more than anyone else besides two other people on this Earth?" Evie asked, and Mal held Evie's stare for a moment before looking down at her hand in Evie's. Mal closed her eyes as she leaned against the railing. Evie surveyed her carefully, waiting for Mal to speak of her own accord.

Mal finally sighed shakily, furrowing her brow.

"It's… hard."

"What's hard?" Evie asked gently, prodding Mal carefully but wanting the faerie to express her feelings. Evie turned her head to face Mal fully, watching the girl attentively and with an almost motherly quality in her gaze.

Mal swallowed hard, and it became clear to Evie that her poor best friend seemed nearly in tears. Of course, the tears were to be expected. The entire conversation was to be expected. They hadn't had the time to discuss this entire issue between them properly, instead settling for a temporary slide-by apology. Moreover, it had been a hard few days anyway, and the stress levels were on tilt.

"It's hard to imagine that you really can love me as much as I love you after all I've done to you," Mal explained, and Evie felt a sharp and cruel stab to her heart with the words.

"I mean, I trust in my love for you because you have never done anything to hurt me or betray me. All you have ever given me is kindness and understanding, and all I have ever given you is grief and pain," Mal pointed out, her voice a bit wobbly but still strong. Evie then felt the knife that was already jabbed into her chest twist harshly as Mal added to her already horribly upsetting explanation.

"I… I don't deserve any of you, but especially not you, E. I really don't deserve you," Mal chuckled humorlessly as the tears shined in her eyes. Evie quietly considered this for a moment, trying to think of the best possible way to reply to her best friend while simultaneously fighting the lump in her throat.

"But I deserve you," Evie retorted strongly, squeezing Mal's hand with a renewed vigor as she attempted to pull the girl from the torture of her mind. Mal glanced up at Evie sadly but lovingly.

"Evie, you don't deserve me. You deserve something so much better," Mal dismissed Evie's attempt. But Evie wasn't about to stand down. Mal was messing with her sister, and she wasn't about to let her self-destruct. Evie turned to face Mal, leaning her hip against the railing as she took Mal's other hand in one of her own.

"That's not true. I don't just deserve you, but I want you," Evie told her reassuringly, allowing sisterly love to warm her voice as she spoke. Her voice wasn't forceful, but it was emphatic enough to get Mal's attention, and the faerie actually stopped trying to deny Evie in favor of listening to her.

"M… I wouldn't have anyone else in the world standing here beside me right now," Evie explained, and Mal just watched her carefully, a few teardrops threatening to slide down her cheeks. Evie took a deep breath, biting her lip slightly as she tried to keep from crying herself.

"You are my only sister and best friend. I love you so, so much, and I want you to fill that place as my sister," Evie told her, slightly moving their intertwined hands in emphasis of her statement. Mal still looked at her with a bit of disbelief, and Evie shook her head, passionately attempting to make Mal understand.

"No one else. Just you- Mal Bertha, Lady of the Court, best friend and sister to Genevieve Catarina Queen, Carlos Oscar de Vil, and Jay Ali. Full of grace and beauty, beloved by all who know her, this is my sister. My best friend. My Mal," Evie told her slowly and deliberately as she stepped forward, pressing her forehead against Mal's own.

Mal looked down at their closely joined hands before slowly bringing up her gaze to meet Evie's insistent mocha orbs that were demanding her attention. Mal sighed deeply and closed her eyes as she pushed her head against Evie's firmly, allowing Evie to hold up some of her weight. Mal finally reopened her eyes, her voice coming out a bit shakily but the words forming perfectly.

"Were you trying to curse me or be reassuring?" Mal finally asked thickly, doing just as she always did as she tried to make a joke to distract from the main point at hand. Evie quickly recalled the exact words of Maleficent that Evie had used so purposefully. Evie chuckled just barely before sobering and explaining to Mal her reasons.

"I told you that because you need to know that although Aurora was the one bestowed with those gifts by the three good fairies, you received all of those blessings and more. Because you're my Mal," Evie told her, and Mal nodded softly.

"And you're my Evie?" Mal questioned carefully, and Evie felt her heart soften at the vulnerability in Mal's gaze. Evie allowed her face to blossom into a gorgeous, giant grin as she moved her head to the side so that she could pull Mal against her in a tight hug.

"Always and forever."

A/N: Well, I certainly hope that satisfied the Mal and Evie sisterly/best friend fluff beast inside all of us for at least a moment. I greatly enjoy writing about these two girls' friendship, and I invite any and all suggestions for them! :) But make sure they're suggestions for them as friends, please. I firmly see them and the boys as a sort of found family.

So the next story on my agenda? Well, Uma, Audrey, and Jane take Mal and Evie out to the Enchanted Lake to learn how to swim. Let's just say our two favorite sisters have a very hard time.

Please let me know what you thought of this oneshot! You guys' reviews keep me fueled. :) Until the next fanfic!